Akashiyaki

Akashiyaki are small octopus dumplings associated with Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture. Eggs, flour, wheat starch and dashi make a loose batter, which is cooked with pieces of octopus in a specially shaped pan. The cook turns each portion as it sets, producing a soft, rounded dumpling. A separate broth made with bonito or kelp is served for dipping and may be warm or cold.^[1]

The dish is also known locally as tamagoyaki. Akashiyaki resembles takoyaki, but its egg-rich batter and dipping broth give it a different texture and way of eating. It is eaten throughout the year as a snack or light meal, both at home and in specialist shops. A local origin story links the dish to leftover yolks from an artificial-coral industry that used egg whites; this is an account of its origins rather than a documented invention date.^[1]